Theme: To Get Lost is to Learn the Way

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Mulungushi International Conference Centre
8025 Great East Road, Olympia Park
Lusaka, Lusaka, 10101
Zambia

Daniel Bevington

Manager of Rural Technologies Coding Series, US Peace Corps

Daniel Bevington is a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer who served in the Kawambwa District, northern Luapula Province of Zambia between February 2015 and May 2017. While his primary role was to assist rural farmers with improved aquaculture practices, he envisioned, founded, and developed a secondary project, which has become his passion, which is to help rural adolescent girls learn new life skills through Girls Can Code technology camps. Presently, he has moved to Lusaka and is working to harmonize the newly formed Rural Technologies Coding Series with the work of a Lusaka-based Zambian non-profit technical training organization in order to effectively reach toward millions of underprivileged and marginalized adolescent girls from the rural areas of Zambia. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from universities in the United States.

Dennis Wolter

Sanitation and Waste Management Specialist

Dennis Wolter is a young man passionate about the environment, energy solutions and innovation. He seeks to find positive answers to the negative environmental and socio-economic impacts of Zambia’s waste and energy crisis. As founder and CEO of Uplifting Unlimited, Dennis empowers vulnerable youth in Lusaka through the production of innovative craft products derived from recycled waste material. With his background in mechanical engineering, Dennis works with BORDA Zambia to implement and disseminate environmentally-friendly solutions for sanitation and waste management.

Dickson Jere

Lawyer, Journalist, Political Analyst

Dickson Jere is a lawyer, journalist, communications expert and political analyst with special focus on African affairs. He served as Senior Advisor and Spokesperson for Zambia’s fourth President, Rupiah Banda. Mr Jere is a renowned speaker, drawing upon his experiences in private and international media, in politics and the legal fraternity. Dickson Jere is also an accomplished author with his 2014 book Inside the Presidency: the Trials and Tribulations of a Zambian Spin Doctor being well-received locally and abroad. Mr Jere is an Advocate of the High Court for Zambia, has a Masters in Intellectual Property (MIP), a Diploma in Journalism and Public Relations, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), and is also an LLM candidate.

Dolika Banda

Banker and financial management expert

Dolika Banda is a renowned banking and investment practitioner with more than 25 years of international banking and financial management experience scanning the globe, and focusing on economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. She is currently CEO of African Risk Capacity ("ARC") Ltd. Ms Banda sits on a number of boards, including Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Focus Financial Services, Financial Sector Deepening Africa and Zambia and Harith General Partners Pan African Infrastructure Funds. Her work in international economic development has taken Ms Banda to many countries around the world, but she retains close ties to her homeland, Zambia.

Dwain Whitaker

Artist

Dwain Whitaker is a visual artist living and working in Lusaka, Zambia. A self-taught graffiti artist, Dwain has been a member of the Visual Arts Council member since March 2013. He transforms a blank canvas wall into a life size mural within a few hours while crowds watch. Dwain aspires to reinvigorate the Zambian art scene by drawing inspiration from the vibrant global street art movement. Bold and eye-catching, Dwain’s pieces reflect self-expression in the form of words coming to life in a colourful, new light in the Zambian visual arena.

El Mukuka

DJ/Producer

El Mukuka is a vibrant and passionate Zambian-Greek DJ/Producer. At the age of 11, El began producing rap and hip hop music, but by age 18, this budding musician was studying classical composition and world music at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. Mukuka later branched out into electronic dance music and scooped a Zambian Born ‘n’ Bred Music Video Award in 2014 for his debut release "Heart". El Mukuka has appealed to audiences in Europe and Africa and has had his music released on both major and top indie record labels around the world.

Gift Chansa

Circus and Theatre Artist

Gift Chansa is co-founder of Circus Zambia and a Lead Artist Facilitator for Barefeet Theatre. Gift is a native of Lusaka and overcame challenging circumstances in his childhood by focusing on his passion for circus and theatre. After a few years of performing, Gift sharpened his performance arts skills at the Wuqiao International School of Acrobatic Arts in China in 2015. Circus Zambia is a social circus school for children in the Chibolya township, where Gift grew up. The circus takes a holistic approach to training students: to train their minds, bodies and souls, and give them a chance to rise above the risks of their daily life – drugs and theft among others. In order to generate income for its social programs Circus Zambia can be hired for events, shows and workshops.

Grieve Chelwa

Economist

Grieve Chelwa is an inaugural postdoctoral fellow in economics at the Centre for African Studies at Harvard University and also a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER). Dr. Chelwa has wide-ranging research interests around economics in African countries, especially his homeland, Zambia. His research work has been supported by grants from the International Growth Centre at the London School of Economics (LSE), the Volkswagen Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Chelwa holds postgraduate degrees in economics from the University of Cape Town including a PhD. He holds a BA in economics with statistics from the University of Zambia.

Lars Stork

CEO, Vodafone Zambia

Lars Stork is the Chief Executive Officer at Vodafone Zambia, a position he has held for almost two years. Lars has vast management experience which has seen him win a global award for the best innovative approach in penetrating rural areas in Africa, and was named in the Global Telecoms Business Top 100 most influential people in the telecoms industry. He has lived in 15 countries around the world and worked as a Chief Operating Officer at Zain Nigeria, Chief Executive Officer at Zoosh India, and Group Chief Executive Officer for Hygeia Nigeria.

Laura Miti

Writer, Activist

Laura Miti serves as the Executive Director for the Alliance for Community Action, an organisation which works to grow the demand for public resource accountability in the Zambian general public. Laura has been a columnist in various Zambian and South African newspapers. She is a graduate of the University of Zambia, and holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Fort Hare. She is passionate about issues of social justice and options for the poor.

Linda Kasonde

Lawyer

Linda Kasonde is the current and first female President of the Law Association of Zambia. She was admitted to the Zambian Bar in 2001. She has worked at the National Legal Aid Clinic for women and also in a renowned local law firm where she became a partner in 2009. Later, she became the first female lawyer in an established law firm to be elevated to the position of named partner in Zambia. In 2016, The Africa Report named Linda Kasonde as one of the people in Southern Africa to watch out for in 2017. She received the Zambia Society for Public Administration's award in recognition to her contribution to the advancement of public service excellence in Zambia. She is also an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow and an alumna of the U.S. State Department's International Visitors' Leadership Programme and an alumna of Harvard University's 'Leadership in the 21st Century' programme.

Lovemore Cheelo Kabwata

Legal Assistant

Lovemore Cheelo Kabwata is a Legal Assistant at the National Assembly Of Zambia. He holds an LLB and is currently studying for his Bar Examinations. Lovemore calls himself a miracle baby, for surviving a sickly childhood after having been born prematurely at 6 months and for making it out of Chawama Compound. He counts his Parents, both school dropouts, as his role models. Lovemore is also a professional photographer and owns Kabwata Brothers Productions. He works to inspire youths by cultivating the spirit of hard work and philanthropy in schools around Lusaka.

Mafipe Chunga

Investment Adviser

Mafipe Chunga is a chartered accountant and lawyer, and works as an Investment Advisor at KPMG Zambia. He held a similar position at Citibank. In these positions, Mafipe has advised on transactions in various industry sectors in Zambia giving him a depth of understanding of the nation’s economy. Mafipe is a native of Lusaka and has worked in Zimbabwe, Mauritius, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Michelle Chimuka

Disability rights activist

Michelle Chimuka is a vibrant Zambian woman passionate about addressing the issues people with disabilities face from a business and empowerment point of view rather than from a charity perspective. Michelle has spoken about her progressive work at large platforms such as the Association for the Development of Education in Africa. Michelle is a current Laureate Global Fellow under the Youth Action Network (YAN) run by the International Youth Foundation. Although Michelle is a chartered accountant with over nine years’ experience, she manages the Sani Foundation, which works with people with intellectual disabilities.

Namaala Liebenthal

Choreographer

Namaala Liebenthal is an entrepreneur, choreographer, dance innovator and corporate attorney. She is the Founder of ZOCA Dance (Zambia’s Own Caribbean and African Dance Fever), a dance fitness movement with a growing presence in Zambia, the USA, India and Europe. She focuses on growing the ZOCA brand and uplifting and energizing her international teams of instructors and clients with the love of dance. With a foundation in classical dance techniques and a diverse experience of dance styles, Namaala has choreographed over 350 dances and was the lead choreographer for the 2015 Zambia Music Awards. She is the Co-Founder of two non-profit initiatives that use the positive attributes of dance to promote empowerment, leadership and uplifting values. She is a member of the New York State bar and Zambia bar, an Associate Arbitrator and a Specialist in Fitness Nutrition.

Natasha Salifyanji Kaoma

Medical doctor and young women's advocate

Natasha Kaoma is a young Zambian woman committed raising awareness about reproductive health and menstrual hygiene. While in medical school at the University of Zambia, she co-founded Copper Rose Zambia to carry through the reproductive health work, and the organization has gone on to fundraise for menstrual hygiene kits for women in rural areas. 4000 hygiene kits have been distributed across Zambia and hundreds of women and men are able to hand sew sanitary napkins. At the age of 25, is already an award-winner, winning the Zambian Women of the Year Healthcare Champion Award 2017, and is the only Zambian to have received the Queens Young Leaders Award (2017). Natasha is UN Local Pathways Fellow for Sustainable Development Goals, and hold other influential positions.

Sipho Phiri

Entrepreneur

Sipho Phiri is a Zambian entrepreneur and a banker by profession with extensive Corporate Finance experience. Sipho has a wide range of business interests including the development of Western Power, a hydroelectric power station in Western Province, property development, a private cemetery and Zambia’s first Tier 3 multi-tenant data centre. Sipho recently established a solar power generation project, and along with his brother formed the DARP Foundation to promote education and sports for underprivileged Zambians. Sipho serves as Honorary Consul for the Kingdom of Denmark.

Trevor Mumba

Entrepreneur

Trevor Mumba is a success story few in his home country have heard of. By working hard and visualizing his dream, Trevor rose out of the difficult challenges of his childhood – being orphaned by age 10 and raised by his grandmother in a modest setting – to become a director and partner of a Contacts Marketing Company called Real Promotions South Africa. By the age of 33 he had become a wealthy entrepreneur. Trevor lives in Johannesburg and his business has branches in Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Yoram Siame

Development Advocate

Yoram Siame was trained in Journalism, but has Masters degrees in Public Health and Development Management. His current work is in international development, with a focus on global health issues. Yoram has a passion for working in under-served populations, such as the young people, and was one of the founder of Youth Alive Zambia. Yoram also has an interest in rural communities and advocating for change in the issues that affect them. Gender and human rights are two areas in which Yoram advocates for change.